Exam preparation
Use the following best practice guides and resources to better understand and prepare for the certificate of competence examination process.
Revised review of exam outcome policy
See 'Requesting a review' section for revised policy (December 2023) that now allows review of oral exam outcomes, in addition to written exams. Further information is available through the Mining Competencies and Authorisations (mca@regional.nsw.gov.au, 1300 814 609 option 2 > 3).
Certificate of competence exams
Latest exam dates can be accessed here. Please subscribe to Mine Safety News for further updates on exams.
General guidance and study resources
For information on eligibility and the processes involved in assessing whether a person is competent, read our Certificate of competence guide (PDF, 1.59 MB).
For a general overview on what statutory functions are and how they apply to the mining and petroleum industry, read the Statutory functions web page.
Download and print the log book template (DOCX, 63.23 KB) to record information on visits to coal operations.
Best practice guides
There is a range of best practice guides to help candidates, employers and registered training organisations understand and prepare for the examination process. They were developed by the NSW Resources Regulator and the NSW Minerals Council in conjunction with other government agencies. Download the guides:
- Candidates - Learning best practice guide (PDF, 248.15 KB)
- Employers - Learning best practice guide (PDF, 257.86 KB)
- Registered training organisations - Learning best practice guide (PDF, 277.01 KB)
Please note that the guides relate to certificates of competence under the former Coal Mine Health and Safety Act 2002 and Mine Health and Safety Act 2004. The guides are provided for information only.
Latest exams and examiner reports
View exam papers and examiner reports by selecting the applicable statutory function position links below.
Coal mines - open cut
Electrical engineer
Latest exam paper
Latest examiner report
Mechanical engineer
Mining engineering manager of coal mines other than underground
Latest exam paper
Latest examiner report
Open cut examiner
Latest exam paper
Latest examiner report
Coal mines - underground
Deputy
Latest exam paper
Latest examiner report
Electrical engineering manager
Latest exam paper
Latest examiner report
Mechanical engineering manager
Mining engineering manager - underground
Latest exam paper
Latest examiner report
Undermanager
Latest exam paper
Latest examiner report
Other mines (non-coal) - open cut
Quarry manager
Latest exam paper
Latest examiner report
Other mines (non-coal) - underground
Mining engineering manager
Latest exam paper
Latest examiner report
Underground mine supervisor
Latest examiner report
Licensed activities at coal mines
Cable repair signatory
Application form and guide
Latest examiner report
Sample question and marking criteria
Underground mine supervisor oral examination and quarry manager written examination
As an aid to supporting candidates to better prepare and perform in examinations, the NSW Resources Regulator and the examination panel have provided a sample question and marking criteria for the underground mine supervisor oral examination and the quarry manager written examination certificates of competence.
- Underground mine supervisor sample (PDF, 137.73 KB)
- Quarry manager sample question 1 (PDF, 298.23 KB)
- Quarry manager sample question 2 (PDF, 272.42 KB)
Exam rules
All candidates need to read the Certificate of competence: examination rules and requirements guide (PDF, 656.11 KB).
The Breach of exam rules policy (PDF, 120.39 KB) describes the framework for dealing with allegations of a candidate breaching the rules of a certificate of competence examination.
Exam feedback
Written examination
You will receive notification of your examination results as soon as possible after the examination and within four weeks. The results will contain any general feedback from examiners on the examination results.
You should review past written exam question papers for each function, comparing marks received against available marks to find areas of improvement, then self research to improve for your next exam. Examiners cannot generally provide more feedback on written examination results and may not be available.
Oral examination
For oral examination results where a candidate is not yet competent, the examiners assessment can be read out over the phone to you. If you then want further clarification then you can request an examiner contact you but this must be done within a month of receiving your results notification. Examiners may or may not available to meet your request.
Requesting a review
If you would like to obtain feedback on your exam results, you should first contact us via email on mca@regional.nsw.gov.au or call us on 1300 814 609 (option 2 then 3). At no stage is contact to be made directly by a candidate to an examiner.
If you are not satisfied with your examination outcome, you can request an examination review. To do so, read the Review of exam outcome policy (PDF, 1.05 MB). and determine whether you want to proceed. If so, complete and submit one of our forms within the required timeframe on the Resources Regulator portal.